Nicollette Sheridan's 'Desperate Housewives' Lawsuit To Go To Trial

Nicollette Sheridan has landed what another fired star from a hit series, Charlie Sheen, has been desperately trying to get — a day in court. A judge today ruled that Sheridan’s wrongful-termination lawsuit over her firing from ABC’s Desperate Housewives can go to trial. Sheridan filed the complaint against ABC and Housewives creator and executive producer Marc Cherry in April 2010, claiming that he slapped her during an argument in September 2008 and, after she complained to the studio bosses about it, she was written off the show later that season. Sheridan’s case got a recent boost from a deposition by former Housewives writer-producer Lori Kirkland Baker, who contradicted ABC’s key argument that the decision for the demise of Sheridan’s character was made way before the alleged slapping incident. In the original complaint, Sheridan had also claimed discrimination and harassment based on sex, age and sexual orientation, something she dropped in January, as well as sexual harassment. The judge today threw out the sexual harassment portion, but Sheridan’s claims of battery, wrongful termination and unlawful retaliation will be argued in front of a jury. Unless, of course, the two sides settle, which often is the case when the release of sensitive company information in a public forum is at stake. “I’m very happy that I’m being treated fairly,” Sheridan was quoted as saying after the hearing.